by | Jul 7, 2022 | Evangelium

Monday 08 th august 2022

 

St. Dominic

(1170 – 1221)

 

He was born in Castile (part of modern Spain) and became a canon of the cathedral of Osma. In 1216 he founded the Order of Preachers, dedicated to saving souls by preaching and persuasion. Dominic died at Bologna on 6th August 1221.

 

Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Sir 15: 5

In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understandingand clothed him in a robe of glory.

 

Collect

May Saint Dominic come to the help of your Church by his merits and teaching, O Lord, and may he, who was an outstanding preacher of your truth, be a devoted intercessor on our behalf. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

First reading : Ezekiel 1:2-5,24-28

On the fifth of the month – it was the fifth year of exile for King Jehoiachin – the word of the Lord was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldaeans, on the bank of the river Chebar. There the hand of the Lord came on me. I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great cloud with light around it, a fire from which flashes of lightning darted, and in the centre a sheen like bronze at the heart of the fire. In the centre I saw what seemed four animals. I heard the noise of their wings as they moved; it sounded like rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, a noise like a storm, like the noise of a camp; when they halted, they folded their wings, and there was a noise. Above the vault over their heads was something that looked like a sapphire; it was shaped like a throne and high up on this throne was a being that looked like a man. I saw him shine like bronze, and close to and all around him from what seemed his loins upwards was what looked like fire; and from what seemed his loins downwards I saw what looked like fire, and a light all round like a bow in the clouds on rainy days; that is how the surrounding light appeared. It was something that looked like the glory of the Lord. I looked, and prostrated myself.

 

Psalm 148:1-2,11-14

R/ Your glory fills all heaven and earth.

 

  1. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host.
  2. All earth’s kings and peoples, earth’s princes and rulers, young men and maidens, old men together with children.
  3. Let them praise the name of the Lord for healone is exalted. The splendour of his name reaches beyond heaven and earth.
  4. He exalts the strength of his people. He is the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, of the people to whom he comes close.

 

Gospel Acclamation : Ps147:12,15

Alleluia, alleluia! O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! He sends out his word to the earth. Alleluia!

 

Gospel : Matthew 17:22-27

One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men; they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them. When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, ‘Does your master not pay the half-shekel?’ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, ‘Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do the kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?’ And when he replied, ‘From foreigners’, Jesus said, ‘Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you.’

 

Prayer over the Offerings

Attend mercifully to the prayers we offer you, O Lord, by the intercession of Saint Dominic, and through the great power of this sacrifice strengthen by the protection of your grace those who champion the faith. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon : Cf. Mt 24: 46-47

Blessed is the servant whom the Lord finds watching when he comes. Amen I say to you: He will put that servant in charge of all his property.

 

Prayer after Communion

May your Church, O Lord, receive with wholehearted reverence the power of this heavenly Sacrament, by which we have been nourished on the commemoration of Saint Dominic, and may your Church, having flourished by means of his preaching, be helped through his intercession. Through Christ our Lord.

 

Meditation

Jesus and the disciples “ were together in Galilee”. In the Gospel, the fact that they were together underlines the closeness of Christ to people. Then He opens His Heart to them to entrust them with the path of His Passion, His Death and His Resurrection, a feeling that He carries in His heart and that He does not want those He loves so much to ignore. The episode of the payment of taxes is then recounted, and here, once again, the evangelist gives us a glimpse of how Jesus settles this question through the distinction between those who are supposed to pay these taxes and those who are not, because having the absolute assurance of their life with them, they are above these taxes. Finally, Christ returns to the established order of men, which must nevertheless be respected so as not to cause an occasion of sin and scandal. He shows them how to get the money they need to pay their dues.